Women's Basketball

DaSilva's Road to Tuscaloosa

From Sao Paulo, Brazil to Tuscaloosa, Alabama; is a long way but it gave one girl the opportunity of a lifetime.

Alana Goncalo Da Silva, a junior point guard, started her basketball career at New Mexico Junior College, but said it was time to move to Division I.

"It's a great opportunity to grow as an athlete. I was recruited by Minnesota, Arizona, Baylor, Florida, and Alabama and for me, Alabama offered the most," said Da Silva.

Being the new girl on the team comes with a lot of pressure, but nothing is better than the achievements as a team.

"Through the pressure nothing was better than when we beat Tennessee during the SEC tournament," said Da Silva.

Michael Johnson, a senior at The University of Alabama, is a big supporter of the woman's basketball team and had nothing but positive things to say about Da Silva.

"Alana is always going to be the first to pass the ball. She wants to set up the offense before anything, she's an overall team player," said Johnson.

Da Silva carries the same attitude she has on-the-court to off-the-court.

"Her off the court behavior is like the on the court behavior. She always makes sure everyone is okay, and is very selfless," said Johnson.

Da Silva has goals set and knows what it will take to reach those goals.

"I have goals of being a professional basketball player. I have one more year of eligibility and that's one more year to up my game," said Da Silva.

Alabama women's basketball finished the season 18-12 overall, before losing in the quarterfinals of the NIT tournament to Georgia Tech 76-66. With Da Silva's first season in the books she is in the perfect position to become the starter and key component in her final season with the Crimson Tide.